UK, Germany call for lasting ceasefire in Gaza Strip

According to The Times of Israel news site, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock stressed the urgency of achieving a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza Strip after many airstrikes. Photo: CNN

“We must do everything we can to pave the way for a lasting ceasefire that will lead to a lasting peace . This needs to happen as soon as possible – the need is urgent,” said Foreign Secretary Cameron and Foreign Secretary Baerbock.

Previously, on December 12, the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate unconditional release of the hostages. The UK abstained from voting on this resolution.

The resolution, sponsored by Egypt on behalf of a group of Arab countries, was passed in the context of the war between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement in Gaza showing no signs of cooling down, while the UN Security Council continues to be deadlocked in finding a unified action to find a way out of the crisis.

Regarding the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that it was participating in a joint UN mission to provide medical supplies and assess the situation at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The WHO team delivered surgical instruments, anesthetics and other medicines to Al Shifa, which is “currently operating at a minimal level”.

The economic cost of the conflict between Israel and Hamas to neighboring Arab countries including Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan could rise to more than $10 billion this year and push more than 230,000 people into poverty, according to a UN study released on December 13.

Palestinians collect food aid in the Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters/Arab News

Half the population of Gaza is hungry, according to Carl Skau, deputy director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Nine out of 10 people do not have enough to eat, he said.

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